92 replies to this topic

[w_ boughner]

you're right Rainbow, BUT, you forgot one little thing, right now the steelhead are fresh, they are very careful, they have roe, I'm almost positive that some of the fish caught will die before spawning, due to being, improperly released, now in the spring the trout are spawned out, they aren't very careful, its not rare to spot a dying trout, its not rare to find them swimming near you, when you are in your waders, they are much less careful, they've already seen everything, they don't get spooked easily, due to the fact they've been in the river for a while and got used to it, in the fall, already careful steelhead, turn into even more careful steelhead, the same fish get caught over and over again and they start getting stressed out, ounce they get stressed out, they start losing fat, the more fat they loose, the less chance they have of surviving and getting to spawning grounds, kind of like salmon ounce entering the river, they loose fat, or as some people call it "slime" they start getting darker and more and more tired, you can see this, when you catch a steelhead, take your hand and just rub it across the fish, most likely this time of year it will be very slimy and oily, now do the same in the spring, it will most likely be almost dry, not oily at all, if they loose too much before they spawn they won't make it, fighting stresses out fish and makes them loose fat, coming up strong currents also does, people touching the fish or placing it on shore also does, so yes this "tournament" will affect, them much more in the fall then in the spring.

I'm sorry but that's gong to happen any ways in all steal head rivers where people practice c&r and all those people probably would have fished that river anyway just maybe not that spot since it was hosted by a local shop and by what I'm reading your implying that we should stop fishing all together until the spring !!

[BowSlayer]

tournaments put the fish in more pressure, the east trbs get pressured regularly, but with a tournament even more, think a little, why not have a tournament on g-bay, where the rivers are bigger? ill tell you why, you actually have to know how to fish there, in the eastern ditches people just floss them, i think real fishermen should fish g-bay tribs, guys who only fish eastern ditches and have access to bigger waterbodies, do not know how to fish, if you disagree with this, then i don't know what to tell you, except read some books on steelhead!

[DILLIGAF?!]

Thanks for reporting some positive info:

 

• Food Bank
• Garbage
• Supporting Local Business
• Catch & Release

 

I wonder if the "RIVER IS ALL MINE CROWD" even did (1) of these? (let alone all four)

this is a very touchy subject all together...whenever someone holds a contest...be it...basketball, volleyball or whatever sport...there is a said purpose...fund raising or whatever the fudge it is for. But you know what...events are being held on rented facilities...reserved only for participants. My question is was this tourney sanctioned? is the area reserved only for participants? what happens if you just want to fish the same pool as the one where the tournament is being held? will they kick you out? I'm sure there's a fee to join the tournament and if I'm paying to fish there better be no other soul fishing for free. And was this tournament held all from tightlines' kind heart?

[DILLIGAF?!]

tournaments put the fish in more pressure, the east trbs get pressured regularly, but with a tournament even more, think a little, why not have a tournament on g-bay, where the rivers are bigger? ill tell you why, you actually have to know how to fish there, in the eastern ditches people just floss them, i think real fishermen should fish g-bay tribs, guys who only fish eastern ditches and have access to bigger waterbodies, do not know how to fish, if you disagree with this, then i don't know what to tell you, except read some books on steelhead!

I fish the east ditch most of the time....

[Diana Danger]

I love my ditch..................

[BowSlayer]

that because you haven't fished the g-bay tribs, much more area to explore and much more fish, not to mention they fight waaaay harder!

[GoodenTight]

smack my ditch up.

[DILLIGAF?!]

that because you haven't fished the g-bay tribs, much more area to explore and much more fish, not to mention they fight waaaay harder!

It's not all about that. It's more about convenience as well. Not everyone is going to drive that far, specially now that we're getting snow.

[Diana Danger]

As narrow and shallow as my ditch may be, you cant beat a 2 minute drive from home.  I can fish before work, at lunch, after work, even during work! LOL

[DILLIGAF?!]

As narrow and shallow as my ditch may be, you cant beat a 2 minute drive from home.  I can fish before work, at lunch, after work, even during work! LOL

nothing beats bushwhacking through the bushes in between the water & timmys across the street.

[BowSlayer]

ya thats what I'm saying, some people don't have the chance to get down to the g-bay tribs, i usually finish float fishing when theres snow, ice fishing, then in march il switch it up between the two, don't get me wrong, i live in the middle of the 2, for me the east tribs or g-bay is the same drive, but its much harder north, with the snow, i fish east tribs sometimes too, you don't have to walk too far, etc.

[Vxp]

Interesting thread. I'm confused a bit though by the various comments. When a guy posts pictures of dead fish (referring to the dead brown pics, 4 mins apart, nobody can say anything. But when a get together is organized to clean up the river and is catch and release based, guys are up in arms. Something doesn't make sense.

These tribs are pounded hard every year but most need to understand that perhaps for every fish that is harvested or dies, hundreds of fish are safely in the sanctuary. I never worry too much about fish mortality unless someone is doing something illegal.

Some of guys need to relax. Kudos to the guys putting on the event. Less garbage, food for needy and river awareness.

[w_ boughner]

tournaments put the fish in more pressure, the east trbs get pressured regularly, but with a tournament even more, think a little, why not have a tournament on g-bay, where the rivers are bigger? ill tell you why, you actually have to know how to fish there, in the eastern ditches people just floss them, i think real fishermen should fish g-bay tribs, guys who only fish eastern ditches and have access to bigger waterbodies, do not know how to fish, if you disagree with this, then i don't know what to tell you, except read some books on steelhead!

The fact is your pissed that 40 local guys converged on a500 meter stretch of river for a catch and release tournament but what's the difference if it's 100 people fishing a 500 meter stretch or a 5 km stretch of river !!! Lest say in the confinds of the 500m they all catch 1 fish each as for the fish being spooked and the pressure where as dispersed in a 5k area they would go 5-6 each !!! Your trying to tell us that more guys in one small part of the river is doing more harm than if they were spread out !! Fact is most of them were going to be fishing and catching fish whether it was a tournament or not

And to say that those who fish the east art poachers is very insulting to seasoned vets that like to fish small water !!! I like small water myself for the thrill of landing a psychotic silver bullet chasing it ip and down the river that is harder yo do that in a large river that there is no worry of having to chase it

[DILLIGAF?!]

The fact is your pissed that 40 local guys converged on a500 meter stretch of river for a catch and release tournament but what's the difference if it's 100 people fishing a 500 meter stretch or a 5 km stretch of river !!! Lest say in the confinds of the 500m they all catch 1 fish each as for the fish being spooked and the pressure where as dispersed in a 5k area they would go 5-6 each !!! Your trying to tell us that more guys in one small part of the river is doing more harm than if they were spread out !! Fact is most of them were going to be fishing and catching fish whether it was a tournament or not

And to say that those who fish the east art poachers is very insulting to seasoned vets that like to fish small water !!! I like small water myself for the thrill of landing a psychotic silver bullet chasing it ip and down the river that is harder yo do that in a large river that there is no worry of having to chase it

but i think it would make a difference...if the anglers were scattered...let's say 3-4 hooks in a spot...this gives fish tthe chance to actually avoid the hooks...compared to one area with 40 hooks all together...i've seen this happen 2 weeks ago. 12 guys at the wall...no bites but a couple of chromes hooked on the tail and fins but i didn't witness the tournament and didn't know how everything played out...just my $0.02

[redneckchromer]

not having to chase fish in big/fast water?LOL  ive had to do that plenty of times!!  if anything it happens more in big water since they have more room to run and usually have a stronger flow to use to there advantage.  

[BowSlayer]

The fact is your pissed that 40 local guys converged on a500 meter stretch of river for a catch and release tournament but what's the difference if it's 100 people fishing a 500 meter stretch or a 5 km stretch of river !!! Lest say in the confinds of the 500m they all catch 1 fish each as for the fish being spooked and the pressure where as dispersed in a 5k area they would go 5-6 each !!! Your trying to tell us that more guys in one small part of the river is doing more harm than if they were spread out !! Fact is most of them were going to be fishing and catching fish whether it was a tournament or not

And to say that those who fish the east art poachers is very insulting to seasoned vets that like to fish small water !!! I like small water myself for the thrill of landing a psychotic silver bullet chasing it ip and down the river that is harder yo do that in a large river that there is no worry of having to chase it

ya, a big river like the been gets about 10x more fish then the little puddle they were fishing in, i don't even know to laugh or to cry when i see 20 guys standing in one small pool, with one small steelie in it trying to get upstream and spawn, trying to hammer that little steelie, it doesn't bite after about 20 drifts, you would think they would leave right? but NO, they keep drifting, to the point where the hook is passing the mouth half a cm away! if you think this is normal you are either 1: not an experienced steel header, or 2: just plain crazy! in the g-bay tribs the fish has the whole river to run, it makes long runs, high jumps, a steelie in an eastern ditch what can it do? theres like 20 gys covering its path upstream, another 10 guys downstream it has nothing to do other then try to jump and swim in circles around the one tiny pool, hoping for the best, i don't know how you people can consider this normal, the runs the east tribs get aren't even half the size of the g-bay runs! face it, fishing smaller rivers is much easier, fishing a big g-bay trib you gotta know your stuff there! at a g-bay trib anyone who know how to drift roe properly will catch if there are fish, at an eastern ditch maybe one person will catch and its a 50/50 wether he flossed it or it willingly took the bait, witch i doubt. you have to understand these fish, they see very well without the clear water and low water, IF YOU SEE A STEELHEAD IT 100% SEES YOU! steelhead almost never bite when they see something un-natural, if smell or not a right colour of roe can stop them from hitting, don't you think 20 people hovering above it will definently stop it?! if you want to fish normally try fishing a g-bay trib then try fishing an eastern ditch, then if you tell me that you like east more, then there is something wrong with you, lol. To those of you who are limited to only eastern tribs, i know the feeling, you may think that eastern ditches are fun, but they are shallow gin-clear rivers, with poor pressured fish, that can barely make it up, due to all the guys targeting one little scrappy steelie! Ounce you fish a g-bay trib with fish in it, its like opening up a whole new world!, lol

[Rainbow]

at an eastern ditch maybe one person will catch and its a 50/50 wether he flossed it or it willingly took the bait,

 

^In some ways this is true lol.

 

I prefer bigger waters too, but I think the eastern ditches have their time and place.

[BowSlayer]

that is true, east tribs usually get an earlier run, but when the g-bay tribs get a run, it is usually much bigger, no doubt about it, when the fish are in, ill choose g-bay tribs over easy any day!

[ChasinTails]

As narrow and shallow as my ditch may be, you cant beat a 2 minute drive from home. I can fish before work, at lunch, after work, even during work! LOL

nothing beats being able to see it from my highschool, just waiting for that bell to ring so I can run to my locker grab my rod and go fish!!

[Andrew]

Safe to say the water out east is in good shape? Thinking of heading there tomorrow but wasn't sure how much snow they got compared to where I am (north of Toronto)